Problems with 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My check engine light came on but the vehicle ran o.k. took it to mechanic and was told that the oil pressure gauge was not working and he believed there was a recall on this. it wasn't a recall so we were told we would have to pay for the repairs ourselves and since we regularly change/check our oil i wasn't too worried. now we have noticed the temperature gauge has shot all the way around and has stayed but when it is really cold outside it drops back to normal. the speedometer and the rpm gauge also sticks. spent many days for a few years trying to solve problem with the radio and dvd player not working properly and switching stations on its own and after several replacements finally gave up because it was never corrected. this is a real concern as i do travel by myself and rely on the instrument panel and this seems to be a real problem with the trailblazer and should be recalled by chevorlet. *tr

I am a senior citizen i brought this car new. after one year i had to replace linc plate. over the years everything has gone wrong with this car. speedometer has not worked since aug. '08, gas gauge stopped oct. '11. instrument cluster since 2010 and gm knows this is a defected part. yet gm paid for this same defected part at their cost for the tahoe, but has not paid for the trailblazer. why? windows and doors do not unlock on command. window wiper(rear) stopped working-i replaced that part. a/c comes on my itself. thermostat failure. i think gm should stand behind their product. the only reason they would not is that they already know that they are producing substandard products that are not fit to be driven on the road. *tr

Bad electrical problem. my side mirrors aren't working at all. my rear brake lights are always inoperative. i always get a constant vibration coming from the engine. my gearbox sometimes freezes or gets stuck. poor fuel efficiency. *tr

Intermittently the speedometer reads from a few mph high to 70 mph high. this problem is well documented across the gm product line and is covered in one way or another by gm. but not the trailblazer. why not? *tr

For the past several months, the speedometer has been acting up. it is now buried past the top registered speed. it will vary from time to time, but is, for the most part, non-working. it will show that i am at a high rate of speed even when the vehicle is sitting idle or in park. this is an ongoing problem and from what i can see, i am not alone with this issue. this is a big safety concern and i feel that gm needs to address the issue. *tr

My rpm gauge and fuel gauges both stopped working. *tr

The speedometer on my 2003 chevy trailblazer quit working. while driving the speedometer indicates the car is going 120+ mph. when parked it indicates the car is going 50+mph. this resulted in dangerous driving conditions throughout the weekend. i phoned the local battle creek chevrolet dealership monday (2/4) and was told that only certain gm vehicles were being repaired courtesy of gm and that at this time my vehicle did not qualify. on the internet i am seeing that this appears to be a common problem for other people who own the trailblazer. *tr

I have a 2003 chevy trailblazer. my instrument cluster has stopped working. my speedometer, and oil gauges do not work. chevy currently has a recall on other models for this problem, but not the trailblazer. i feel chevy need to take responsibility for all of their vehicles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ext. while driving approximately 70 mph, the speedometer displayed a lower speed. the contact decelerated and the speedometer displayed a higher speed. general motors stated that they would not cover the repairs. the current mileage was 70,350 and failure mileage was 69,350. updated 02-14-08. *kb

The speedometer flutters around and sticks not showing my actual speed i am traveling. *tr

Failure of throttle body sensor and ignition switch on 2003 chevy trailblazer ext. failure left vehicle unable to start and unable to shift vehicle out of park. *tr

We purchased our 2003 trailblazer ext used this summer. it had about 50,000 miles on it. we've noticed that when we're on the road for over 2 hours at a time, the speedometer becomes dangerously unreliable. most recently, my husband was pulled over for an unsafe low speed -- until the state policeman saw that the speedometer was registering 20 miles an hour with the car in park and the engine turned off. we have had multiple failures. resetting is sometimes possible by continually restarting the car, but not always, and not with any reliability. by continually restarting i'm talking 30-50 restarts. the wear and tear on the starter therefore is unacceptable. this vehicle should be covered by the recall, but we've not been notified and when we've taken it to dealerships, we haven't even been notified of the recall. the problem has no other discernible pattern and has happened approximately 6 times in the 8 months we've had the car. *tr

Tl* - the contact called regarding the 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ext. the contact stated the speedometer would not go back to zero when the ignition was turned off. the speedometer would state 50-70 mph when only traveling 5 mph. the speedometer cluster was replaced. the failure mileage was 76912. the contact has the repair order. the current mileage was 875000.*ak updated 04/05/07. *jb

While driving, the speedometer got stuck at 40mph. it never came back down, but eventually went all the way to the right side. after $900 for a new instrument cluster it was fixed, but the following year a friend of mine with an 05 trailblazer had the same thing happen to her. she won't get it fixed because it seems just a tad bit suspicious that so many speedometers have gone out in these things. *tr

2003 chevy trailblazer blew a few fuses so i could not start the vehicle (several times already), per dealer. tachometer jumps around, radio gets hot, electrical lights turn off along with heater/cooler, rear lights replaced three times, hole in gas tank, drive line replaced, constant chirping/ticking noise (of course dealer does not hear). purchased brand new and have way too many problems for a new vehicle. you asked for incident date....there are several. will stick to toyota's from now on....*jb

Ac delco factory installed battery leaks battery acid on the positive side terminal causing my 2003 chevy trailblazer ext to lose all power including loss of being able to open rear door. *nm

5 months after i purchased my 2003 chevy trailblazer i went out to start the car and it would not start. i took the car to the dealer the first time for this problem and various others and was told they could not replicate the problem. i replaced the battery and the car worked for approximately another 5 months and the same occurred. on both occasions the key was locked in the ignition and attempts at jump starting the vehicle failed multiple times. since the second time happened this morning i have yet to take it to the dealer. this car also has various other electrical problems sometimes the radio goes blank and gets stuck on one station as well as getting extremely hot (was told they could not replicate all of the problems but reprogrammed the radio so it would not get as hot). the dvd player just stops working (was told they could not replicate the problem). the blower motor for the rear air works sometimes and other times it doesn't (this was apparently fixed once already). the reverse lights stay on when the car is in drive (just happened last weekend). shall i go on? *jb

While driving about 70 mph my speed hand jumped to 110 rpm, when i got home and turned off the vehicle the hand was reading 60 mph. this has happened three times. i called the dealer and they said they have had this problem several times in trailblazers. *jb

Double failure of 4-wheel drive indicators. 4-wheel drive failed but the "service light" did not appear on the dash and the led light on the 2wd/awd/4-hi/4-lo switch did not display correctly. because we were unaware that both indicators were not working and the 4-wheel drive was not working we attempted to go over a mountain pass during snow conditions under the assumption that the 4-wheel drive was working correctly. i was bringing my mother home from the hospital after a heart procedure. luckily i was driving carefully, because the vehicle did begin to lose control, but i was able to make the necessary corrections. we were forced to turn around and take another route, which doubled the length of our drive. this normally would not be a problem except for my mother's condition. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ext. the contact stated that the engine failed to start, the instrument panel produced a hissing noise, and the instrument gauges fluctuated erratically. the vehicle would start after several attempts were made. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure has occurred three times at 39,650, 40,210 and 40,227 miles. the current mileage is 40,227 and failure mileage was 39,650.

As i am going down the road the tachometer starts to jump around and then i lose the directionals and my lights. if i turn off the ignition it will not start again. this has happened four times in the past year. the dealership tells me that fuse #22 is blowing. as of today, my truck is still at the dealership and they do not know what is causing it. they have replaced the fuse each time. they also replaced the instument cluster and the ignition lock. i am seeking legal advise.

Have had my 2003 trailblazer lt 2wd v8 in the shop under warranty many times. first was a recall on the drive shaft which was replaced 3 times. still have a noise the dealed says they don't hear! next came the taillight recall. now i have a recurring problem with a dead battery. this doesn't happen all the time and nothing has been left on to cause it. i can go into a store and come out to find it dead. when you charge the battery, then either the heated seats work improperly, the blower won't come on, something different every time. *jb

Vehicle shut down while driving on the freeway, ignition locked. consumer shook the steering column and it started. there was a multiple vehicle collision since the vehicle shut down at 65 mph. *ak

Went out to start vehicle on september 18, 2004 - tuned key and nothing happened, no starter motor, no dashboard lights, nothing. key remianed locked in steering column, could not be removed. tried again the next morning (9/19) - same thing. tried again the next morning (monday, 9/20). the same thing - at that point called dealer to tow vehicle. about 3 hours later the tow truck came - tow truck operator got in vehicle turned key - and vehicle started right up just as if nothing was ever wrong! . still had vehicle towed to dealership - dealer checked behicle over and found nothing wrong. on saturday, october 23rd, came out of bank after running errnad, turned key in vehicle - nothing happened again. kept turning key off and on for about 10 minutes until vehicle started out of the blue. drove straight to dealer. dealer replaced ignition switch. vehicle worked fine until sunday, january 23rd. went to start vehicle and one again, nothing happened, no lights, no starter - nothing. key also locked in steering column. dealer towed vehicle the next day. dealer could find nothing wrong, theorized an interior light was left on (but i know it wasn't). dealer replaced some engine fan they theorize was turning on after engine turned off and draining battery - i told them that's fine but doesn't explain why truck will start days after an initial failure. this intermittent failure is frightening as it seems to be a possible part of a larger system failure - as noted on this website by other owners - when the trailblazer will fail at high speeds on the highway. (reference odi id numbers 10101741 & 10060860). *ak

Front end loose, ball joints needed replacement. driver side seatbelt defective/twisted. rotors warped needed repalcement. outside door handle does not open door. dirver side mirror moves around (programed) without notice. transmission engages rough, feels like it slipping. tailgate out of allignment, rear seatbelt defective needed replacement, 4wd locked up in parking lot, front end has scraping noises when turning, heated seats not working, irratic, tailgate panel falls off, driver seat frame broken needed replacement,electrical system irratic. *ak

2003 trailblazer ext 4x4 loaded purchased new 5-2004 sticker $ 42,000 i have owned 14 vehicles and have never had one with the problems this truck has. gm has designed engineered and sold an unreliable unsafe automobile. 1. electrical issues: rear brake lamp boards replaced 3 times, radio replaced, headlamp sockets melted, brake lamp bulb base melted. 2. car loss all power while driving wife had to sit in middle of road until tow truck came. truck only 2yrs old at that time cause of problem ignition switch. 3. electronic fan clutch replaced twice 10-10 and 6-11 had to battle dealership to cover based on problem and get attorney involved cost to replace with diag. $700.00. 4. sway bar link pin kit replaced twice. 5. 4x4 transfer case will not go into 4-wheel drive 2-wheel drive only when you select 4-wheel drive truck will not move and makes internal noise.trailblazer has a total of 115,000 miles. just to make a comparison i purchased in 2001 a new toyota tacoma truck it has 176,000 miles on the odometer.other than standard maintenance no issues at all. *tr

Complete power failure while driving vehicle in traffic on interstate. cruising up the interstate at 65-70 mph and vehicle dash went black, steering locked, coasted to roadside and tried to restart vehicle. it took 5 attempts before vehicle would restart. this happened twice more the same day. dealership had vehicle for 5 days and stated they were "unable to duplicate customers concern", but reprogrammed the pcm anyway.